Teaching Family Medicine in Africa Family Medicine Global

Teaching Family Medicine in Africa Family Medicine Global Health Workshop 2012

Disclosures Barry J. Bacon, MD Associate professor, U of Washington Family Medicine Residency, Rural Training Track, Colville, Washington Nothing to disclose

Reports and Requests • • Pokot request Lee Trueblood Rogers and the typhoid outbreak Church in need South Sudan medical school Rwanda Family Medicine Residency How do you decide where to help?

Teaching Family Medicine in Africa • Objectives: – To demonstrate the significance of family medicine teaching in Africa – To understand some challenges to teaching family medicine in Africa – To dismantle some common myths – To realize the power we have to change the world

Necessary Tools for Teaching 1. Adaptability 2. Adaptability 3. See # 1 & 2

Significance of Family Medicine • • Integrated care vs. fragmented care Whole person vs specialized care Family perspective Wellness/prevention vs disease/intervention • Community perspective vs clinic

Teaching Family Medicine in Africa • Teaching family medicine is one of the most powerful ways to effect change, to improve the entire healthcare system. – Local physicians – Local tools – Local diseases – Local culture and context

Components of Family Medicine • Excellent clinical medicine in the context of African diseases, local tools and local physicians • Emphasis on maternal and pediatric care, hospital and outpatient medicine • Emphasis on oversight and team building • Emphasis on community health • Very much hands on

Challenges to Teaching Family Medicine in Africa • Overwhelming poverty- systems not designed to serve the poor • Fractured infrastructure- disarray • Tribalism • Falling behind • Lack of well trained personnel

The myths • “We should help our own first…” • “They should get a job like the rest of us…” • “It’s just the world flushing the toilet on itself…” • For this and other myths, remember the picture of the baby beside the field.

Community Health • Village perspective • “What are the causes of the diseases I am seeing? ” • “What are the basic human needs that all of us share? ” • “What resources can we bring to this need to effect a change in the health status of this community? ”

Family Medicine in Africa • What do I do with my spouse?

Teaching Family Medicine • Effectively recruiting others • Effectively telling their stories

Teaching Family Medicine • Remembering the child beside the field

• The children with chronic osteomyelitis

• The maternal deaths • Embracing the discomforts and inconveniences

Teaching Family Medicine in Africa • Change the world • Discussion…

Family Medicine Residencies • • South Africa Botswana Rwanda Tanzania Kenya Uganda Somaliland? Malawi?

Contacts • Rwanda: – Cal Wilson Cal. Wilson@ucdenver. edu – Louise King louiserking@yahoo. com – Michael Miller miller. michael. v@gmail. com • W. Kenya: – Jeff Pierce jefe_pierce@hotmail. com – Michele Montandon michele. montandon@gmail. com – Neil Njayaman njayaman@aol. com • Botswana: – Kym Heiftke KHeiftke@usg. com – Luise Parsons Luise. Parsons 1@btinternet. com • Me: Barry Bacon baconbarry@juno. com